Sponsored by Eversource Energy
Whether it is crews restoring power or working on their daily jobs of maintaining or upgrading the electric system, it’s not uncommon to see an Eversource truck rolling down the street—but now, there’s a different type of utility vehicle on the roads in Connecticut. The energy company’s new Agile Technical Training Unit is hitting the highways to bring on-demand technical courses directly to its lineworkers across the state—for the benefit of both crews and customers.
“We’re excited to implement this innovative new training model and continue leading the way in our approach to safety and training for our employees who work in the field every day to provide superior service to our customers,” said Eversource Vice President of Safety, Training and Fleet Operations Cliff Williams.
Eversource’s highly skilled lineworkers undergo rigorous training to safely work on the electric system, but typically they have to travel to the company’s central training facility in Berlin to routinely practice their skills or learn how to deploy new electric equipment. That can mean an hour-plus drive for some, depending on where they’re stationed across the state.
“With this new addition to our fleet, we’ll be able to meet our lineworkers where they are and reduce the time it takes for these critical trainings to be completed, which reinforces our safety commitment and makes our operations more efficient,” Williams explained. “By fostering a culture of continuous learning for our crews, we can also ensure that our dedicated employees who keep the lights on each day are always growing in their craft, and altogether these factors lead to enhanced reliability and service quality for our customers.”
In addition to more accessible refresher courses for lineworkers and field employees, the Agile Technical Training Unit will also provide critical instruction to newer members of the company’s workforce more often, allowing all employees to continue developing their skills throughout the year. Instead of traveling to Berlin, crews will also be able to train with new equipment at their own area work centers and learn how to safely deploy the equipment to the system, enabling customers to capitalize on the reliability benefits faster.
“Safety isn’t a box we check—it’s a commitment we make to each other, our customers and our communities—and this is our mission in action,” said Williams. “True safety is built together, and this new mobile unit will help us build stronger partnerships among our frontline employees and further demonstrate how everyone has a stake in keeping each other safe on the job.”
Eversource’s electric and natural gas workforce consists of talented, committed employees who work on diverse types of equipment—oftentimes in challenging weather and situations—to deliver safe, reliable service to Connecticut customers. The company’s safety and training organization works year-round to support and develop its operations teams to help them continue building on their skills and best practices for safety in the field. Eversource also works to provide experienced and newly hired workers with an engaging, comprehensive training curriculum that blends classroom instruction with scenario-based learning and allows field workers an opportunity to practice in an environment with reduced risk.
For more information about the energy company’s commitment to safety for both customers and employees, please visit Eversource.com.
Paid for by shareholders.
